Placer-machine.



T. H. BELL & G. H. DENNISON. PLACER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1911.

1 ,060,1 55, Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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T. H. BELL & G. H. DENNISON.

PLACER MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 19, 1911.

1,060,155. nt d Apr.29,1913 .f

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WITNESSES: V V INVENTOK? COLUMSIA FLANOGIAPN COUWAMIW. D. C.

T. BELL & G. H. DBNNISON.

' PLACER MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19; 1911.

1,060,155. Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

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WTTED OTATES PATENT @FFTQE.

THOMAS H. BELL, OI CLEVELAND, OHIO, AND CALVIN H. DENNISON, OF BOISE,IDAHO, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL PLACERMA- CHINE COMPANY, or YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA.

PLACER-MACHIN E.

LOOOJLdE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, THOMAS H. BELL andCALVIN H. DENNISON, both citizens of the United States, andresidents ofCleveland, county of Guyahoga, and State of Ohio, and of Boise, countyof Ada, and State of Idaho, respectively, have jointly invented a newand useful Improvement in Placer-Machines, Of which the following is aspecification, the principle of the invention being herein explained andthe best mode in which we have contemplated applying that principle, soas to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present machine, as indicated, is designed more especially for usein placer mining, where, in other words, the precious metal isabstracted from the ore by being passed over pockets or riiilescontaining an amalgam. A considerable current of water is required tohandle ore in this fashion, as will be obvious, and even Where theoldfashioned hand method of placer mining obtained, the lack of anadequate water supply has not infrequently been a serious obstacle. Thepresent improvements have as their object the provision of mechanismwhich may be constructed on any desired scale, de pending upon thequantity of ore to be handled, and which will be characterized by aneconomical use of the water, so that, in other words, the same body ofwater may be used over and over with no depletion other than thatoccurring through evaporation or absorption in the materials discarded.To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related objects, saidinvention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims. y

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which theprinciple of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferredform of construction embodying our present improvements, portions of themachine being shown in section to more clearly illustrate the mode ofoperation; Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of such machine; Fig. 3 is aside elevation similar to that of Fig. 1, but showing a broken sectionof a modified form of conof such modified voir, and screw struction;Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion apparatus; and Fig. 5 illqstrates amodified construction of a detai Referring first of all to the preferredform of construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the two majorfeatures comprised in the apparatus will be seen to be an elongateddownwardly inclined sluice-way 1 and a water reservoir 2, the latterbeing shown as located directly above such sluice-way and co-extensivetherewith. As the walls of the sluice-way thus form in effect the bottomof the reservoir, the latter will be seen to be shallower at one endthan the other, although this is not at all essential to the operationof the apparatus as will be obvious from the description presently to begiven of the modified form of Figs. 3 and 4. Disposed adjacent to theupper end, or head, of the sluice-way is a feed hopper 3 supplied by aconveyor 4- or otherwise, as most convenient, and arranged to feed theore into said sluice-way. The reservoir 2 is also arranged to overflowinto the head of the sluice-way, a gate 5 being provided to regulate therate of such overflow, or to shut it off, if desired. The water and orethus admitteclinto the upper end of the sluice-way are carriedtherealong by the current which is induced by suitable means located atthe lower end, or tail, of the sluice-way for returning the dischargetherefrom to the corresponding end of the reservoir. The lower wall orfloor of the sluice- Way is provided with riftles 6 or equivalent meansfor retaining the amalgam that is used to collect the particles ofprecious metal mingled with the ore, as will be readily understood. Themeans for returning the mixture of ore and water discharged from thelower end of the sluiceway to the reservoir may take on variousforms. Asillustrated, a series of cylindrical casings or pipes 7 are arranged ina transverse row at the lower end of the sluice-way, such casingsextending to near the upper level of the reserpropellers 8 or equivalentcurrent producing devices being located in each one. The mixture ofwater and ore thus raised to the upper level of the reservoir ispreferably caught on an apron or inclined plate 9 extending toward thecenter of the reservoir from its end wall, so that the heavier materialsmixed with the water, may collect within reach of the buckets of aconveyer 10 which discharges the waste material from the apparatus. Ascreen p artition 11, is furthermore disposed transversely of thereservoir at a point intermediately between its ends, so that the waterwhich finally returns to the farther end of the reservoir, there toenter the sluice-way 1 again, is substantially free from sediment. Thedriving mechanism, as shown, comprises a power-shaft 12 connected bymeans of belts 13 with the conveyer 4t and the feed mechanism of hopper3; and by means of a longitudinally disposed shaft let with thedischarge conveyer 10 and the gearing 15 for driving the screwpropellers in the casings at the lower end of the sluice-way.

The general mode of operation of the foregoing described mechanismshould be readily apparent, as also the economy in the use of waterthereby secured, for it will be obvious that the same water is utilizedover and over again. At the same time, the operation is a continuousone, being only interrupted when it is necessary to remove the materialcollected in the riiiles of the sluice-way.

In the modified form of apparatus illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, in placeof one elongated sluice-way 1, the amalgamating chamber is in the formof an annular conduit provided between the cylindrical walls andbottomsof two drums 16 and 17, one within the other. The inner drum 17is closed at its lower end, save for a central opening connected with adischarge pipe 18, in which are located screw propellers 19, or othermeans similar to those in the casings 7 of the first describedapparatus. The material is introduced into the space between the wallsof the two drums from a feed hopper 20 and upon reaching the bottom ofthe chamber, collects toward the center, passing incidentally acrosssuitable riffles 21 that have the same function as those in thesluice-way 1. A suflicientsuction is created within the discharge tube18 to withdraw the material thus collecting, and to discharge the samein the farther end of a water reservoir 22, which is here locatedlaterally adjacent to, instead of above the amalgamating chamber. Aconveyer 23, as before, is provided to remove the heavier materials thathere collect, and a screen partition 24 also divides the reservoir, sothat the water which overflows therefrom at the end nearest the tank 16is practically free from sediment. The general operation is here thesame as before, and need not be additionally described. The inner drum17 is preferably made vertically adjustable by means of set bolts 25provided with handwheels for convenience of operation. By suchadjustment the size of the amalgamating chamber, or at least of theeffective portion thereof lying between the bottom of the two drums, canbe varied to suit conditions.

It has been indicated that other means than screw propellers may beutilized to maintain the desired circulation through the apparatus. Thusin Fig. 5, we show a construction in which the entire casing 26(corresponding to the casings 7 of Figs. 1 and 2) is arranged to rotateabout its center as an axis; a spiral 27 within said casing acting aspropelling means in a readily understandable fashion. The apparatus,moreover, in either of the two forms illustrated, is not necessarilylimited to use for placer mining, but may be otherwise employed withsatisfactory results, where it is desired to use over and over againeither a body of water or some solution wherewith the ore requires to betreated. Thus it is contemplated that our machine may be advantageouslyemployed in cyaniding ores, where the cyanid solution is required to bebrought into intimate contact with the ore and of course must not bewasted.

Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalents of such stated means be employed.

It will be noted that in the present apparatus the relative sizes of thereservoir'and the sluice-way are such that the current in the former isonly about one-tenth as rapid as in the latter. In fact, in thereservoir there is almost no current in the bottom of the deeper endwhere the waste material falls when brought into the reservoir by theaction of the propellers. The propellers are designed to maintain a rateof flow in the sluice-way which will permit of the water carrying alongthe comparatively light quartz and other waste material but will notcarry for any distance the heavier gold or silver, the former beingapproximately eight times as heavy as the waste, and the latter fourtimes. It is therefore, a simple matter to maintain a current in thesluiceway which will be inadequate to carry along the precious metalswhich will fall to the bottom and be retained by the rifiles. Themachine could, of course, be operated Without riiiies, in which case themetals would collect in the lower end of the sluice-way from which theycould be removed at intervals. lVhile the rate of flow in the sluicewayis sufficient to carry along comparatively large sized pieces of wastematerial, it is so reduced in the reservoir at the deeper end that thismaterial also precipitates and may be removed by the conveyer meansprovided for that purpose. It "will be seen,

therefore, that our machine is not only meritorious by reason of thesmall amount of Water required in its operation, but also on account ofthe novel and improved method used in first separating out the preciousmetal and then the Waste material. This two-fold result is accomplishedby varying the speed of the current which is done by varying therelative sizes of the reservoir and conduit as will be evident.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as ourinvention 1.'In a machine of the class described, the combination of aninclined conduit adapted to retain precious metals; a Water reservoirdisposed above said conduit, the upper Wall of the conduit forming thebottom of said reservoir, the latter overflowing into said conduit; andmeans for maintaining a circulation through said conduit and reservoir.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an inclined,elongated, closed conduit adapted to retain precious metals; a Waterreservoir disposed above said conduit, the upper Wall of the latterforming the bottom of said reservoir, the latter overflowing into saidconduit at one end of the same; a second conduit connecting saidreservoir With the other end of said inclined conduit; and means formaintaining a circulation through said conduits and reservoir.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an inclinedconduit; riffles in said conduit for retaining precious metals; a Waterreservoir disposed above said conduit; a second conduit verticallydisposed connecting the upper end of said inclined conduit and one endof said reservoir; a third conduit also vertically disposed, connectingthe lower end of said inclined conduit and the other end of saidreservoir; and means mounted in said third conduit adapted to forceWater through the same into said reservoir, causing the latter tooverflow into said second conduit, and said inclined conduit and saidreservoir being so proportioned that a rate of flow is maintained in theformer suflicient to carry along Waste material but not precious metal,and in the latter insufficient to carry along Waste material, therebypermitting the same to precipitate in said reservoir; and conveyer meansadapted to remove such precipitated Waste material.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an. inclined,elongated, closed conduit adapted to retain precious metals; a Waterreservoir disposed above said conduit, the upper Wall of the latterforming the bottom of said reservoir, the latter overflowing into saidconduit at one end of the same; a vertically disposed conduit c0nnectingsaid reservoir with the other end of said inclined conduit; and meansmounted in said vertical conduit for maintaining a circulation throughsaid conduit and reservoir.

Signed by us this 6th day of July 1911.

THOMAS H. BELL. CALVIN H. DENNISON.

Attested by H. MoGARvEY, JNo. F. OBERLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

